


Of Dreams and Butterflies

by JungTaco



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Fantasy, Fluff, M/M, Romance, Shop, fantasy shop au, shop au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-24
Updated: 2016-05-24
Packaged: 2018-06-10 10:33:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,610
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6953125
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JungTaco/pseuds/JungTaco
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sehun finds a small shop with a name he can't read and can't decide if the place or the boy who runs it is more charming.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Of Dreams and Butterflies

Luhan was dozing off behind the counter, head resting on his folded arms and golden hair strands falling on his skin. He jolted when he heard the bell, followed by the sound of steps inside the shop. He raised his head sleepily and rubbed his eyes before warding off the haze in his gaze and looking at the person who just came in. There was little room inside, and the boy's eyes fell on Luhan after a couple of seconds and he gave a small 'hello'. The other greeted back with a soft smile while Sehun looked around.

When Sehun had stopped in front of the shop entrance and looked at the sign above the door, his poor Chinese didn't allow him to understand what was written there, but the blues and golds of the sign arranged in a way that pleased his eyes so much compelled him to come inside and take a look and it wasn't something he regretted the smallest bit. When he placed foot inside, he was welcomed by the sight of a cluster of objects cramped apparently in chaos in the small room. The pair of brown eyes he met contrasted with the surroundings in their simple beauty, but he couldn't allow himself to stare at them too much, so he looked away quickly, admiring several necklaces, hung together in a vibrant rainbow, enhanced by the light floating in through clear windows.

The one that caught his eye was the one with what seemed a glass marble attached to it, enclosed in beautifully carved silver, holding inside a minuscule flower. He wondered if the blue petals were real or made of plastic.

"Do you want to buy a gift?" Sehun jumped in surprise at the shopkeeper's voice.

"Gift." he nodded and replied clumsily, and the way he pronounced the word made the other realize he was a foreigner.

"Oh." he said to himself and then asked in English, "Where are you from?"

"Korea."

"Ohh. That's good then, I know Korean." Luhan smiled.

To say Sehun was surprised was an understatement and it was visible on his face. They kept silent for a few seconds, letting the soft music flowing in the background fill the air as it pleased. This place was so calm that it seemed magical, and the notes only added to that.

"Who is it for? Girlfriend?"

"My sister." he chuckled. "But I'm not sure what I can get her, everything looks like something she would like here."

"Take that one you're holding. If your eyes fell on it the first time, it must be a good choice." He nodded and looked back at the necklace before raising his gaze to look at the others. He pondered for a bit before deciding to finally buy it.

"Can I ask you something?" Sehun walked to the counter, reaching it in two steps. "What's the name of the shop?" he shyly spoke, admitting that he couldn't read it, and Luhan chuckled, before taking the jewel sheepishly, regretting his action. "Sorry. A Butterfly's Dream." he said in Chinese before translating it to Korean for the boy. "Whoa, that sounds as nice as I imagined it would." he admitted as he watched the other boy's hands placing the necklace neatly in a small plastic bag of the same colour. He paid and took it from Luhan, muttering a small 'Thank you' in Chinese this time.

"Will you come again next year? What's your name?"

"I will probably come again for the next Summer vacation. I like it here. I'm Sehun. You?"

"Luhan. Please, don't call me Lulu." his eyes crinkled in a smile and Sehun mirrored his expression.

"Alright."

"Then see you next year?"

"If you'll be here, sure."

***

"Sehun!" Luhan rose from his spot as soon as he noticed who the one who had just walked in was, a wide smile gracing his face. He didn't actually expect the boy to ever return there.

"Hey." the other greeted shyly. "I'm back."

"And I'm glad you are!" Luhan giggled, feeling awkward all of a sudden. He had wanted to see the other again, but now that he was here, he didn't know what to do with himself.

"How are you? Did your sister like the present?"

"She adored it." Sehun smiled at the memory.  "I think I have never seen her so happy before."

"I just imagined a little you in a dress jumping around, is that wrong?" Sehun quirked an eyebrow in amusement before looking around the shop. It was the same as last time, nothing changed.

"Besides the fact that she doesn't resemble me one bit, your statement is correct."

Luhan gazed at him as Sehun continued to admire a few bracelets that had attracted his attention. He then turned to look at the shopkeeper, who didn't seem to realize that, lost in his thoughts.

"What is it?"

"Hmm? Ah, nothing, nothing." the blond laughed, scratching the back of his neck. "Do you want some tea?" Luckily for him, Sehun didn't dwell on the previous subject, immediately nodding and accepting the offer, a giddy smile blossoming on his face, at which Luhan turned on his heels, hurrying to the back of the shop. Fast, so that the other wouldn't catch the roses in his cheeks.

A small kitchen was installed there. Sehun inferred Luhan spent a lot of time in the shop.

"Do you work here every day?"

"Every day on holidays and not so often when I have school, but I try my best. Fortunately, not many people visit this place unless it's a holiday or something." The boy talked as he twirled around, grabbing a tea pot and cups and placing them at their designated places. Sehun took a few steps back, not to hinder him.

"Whoa..." He suddenly felt self conscious, aware that he was a lazy teenager who didn't manage to even do well in school, which was pretty much the only thing that occupied his time anyway.

“Come take a sit.” Sehun did so, occupying one of the two stalls in the room. “I spend most of the time alone here, but the previous person who worked here visits from time to time. He learnt how to make jewelleries like those you saw. If you look closely you can notice some are a little different from the others.” Words fell one after the other without stopping as Luhan moved around before turning to Sehun and softly continuing, “Sorry...  I got carried away.”

“Ah, it’s okay.” Sehun smiled up at him. “I’m quiet, so it’s a relief that you like to talk.”

“I see.” The other chuckled, sitting down next to him. “I didn’t think you would return.”

“Well, I returned to China today and I just couldn’t just forget this place. It doesn’t even look real, truthfully...” Luhan flashed a knowing smile.

“Tell me about it. That’s what I thought when I first came here. And I somehow ended up working here.” His smile widened and Sehun witnessed roses bloom in his cheeks because of happiness, and he felt that the same thing was happening to him. He had to bite his lip not to let out the compliment that almost dripped off the tip of his tongue. He almost called him ‘cute’, and from what he suspected, Luhan was probably around his age, despite his doe eyes and shy blush, and, by his mind, being called cute at this age wasn’t really comfortable. Or maybe it was just him.

“You must like this place then?”

“I do! It’s my second home, even though it’s so small and stuffy.”

Sehun would think that Luhan had been in that place since the beginning of his existence if he didn’t know better, because that’s how much the other boy fit in there. The younger felt the need to pinch himself to verify if he was still anchored in reality or if it was all just a dream, but how weird would that be to do that in front of Luhan, who was a stranger to him? More or less. Labelling him as a stranger seemed wrong.

“I hope you like this tea.” Luhan bounced to his feet again, stepping closer to the stove. He was too restless to sit down. He hoped that the happiness that bubbled inside him wasn’t evident to Sehun. Luhan just couldn’t help it. Despite how comfortable he felt in this shop, he was still somewhat lonely here and the only moments when that sentiment dissipated was when he was visited by his friend, the previous owner of the shop.

The boy poured the hot liquid in two cups, before his eyes wondered about the room trying to find the honey jar. He let out a quiet ‘Oh’ when he found it.

“Honey?”

“What?”

“Do you want honey in your tea?” Luhan chuckled.

“Oh! Sure.”

“How much?”

“Umm, one spoonful is enough.” He responded, scratching the back of his neck. Two would have been good, but he was a big boy, Luhan didn’t need to know about his sweet tooth.

“Alright.” He let the golden substance melt in their cups – two spoonfuls in Luhan’s tea because he wasn’t ashamed to admit that he loved sweet tea. “Here you go. I hope you like it.”

“Thank you.”

The silence was only coloured by the clinks of the teaspoons against the china. It wasn’t an awkward silence, but it was one threatened to be shattered in any moment, though it wasn’t, for a while, because both of them were still searching for their words.

Sehun took the first sip, aware that the boy’s eyes were glued to him in anticipation. A little more honey would do, but the tea was tasty enough so he smiled.

“It’s good!” Luhan mirrored Sehun’s expression, relieved. It wasn’t every day that he could serve someone tea or even just spend time with someone like this, although he wasn’t complaining.

“Are you in a hurry?” the blond raised his eyebrows, placing the teaspoon on the plate next to his cup, gaze not shifting away from Sehun. A few drops managed to touch the wooden surface of the table.

“No.” Sehun shook his head. “But I don’t want to bother you for too long...” He looked down at his cup, admiring the delicate patterns decorating the china in pastel colours. He scolded himself internally because he couldn’t bear to look him in the eye for too long. That’s why he couldn’t see the vague shade of regret on the other’s expression.

“You’re not bothering me. In fact I’m really bored, so I could use some company.”

“Then I’d like to stay for a while.” Sehun dared to look up at him this time. “But make sure to tell me when it’s my time to leave. You don’t need to try to be subtle.” He chuckled, and the other nodded.

***

The two spent a few good hours chatting in the cramped room, but Sehun found it one of the most comfortable places he had ever visited. From time to time, he would wonder if he would wake up the next moment and never get to meet Luhan again, and the older would watch how Sehun’s expression would morph to a concentrated one for a few seconds, but never dare ask for the reason.

Sehun’s tea had got cold as words floated between them, unfurling little by little of themselves for the other to assimilate. Luhan had noticed this, and his eyebrows furrowed just a bit for a millisecond, but he immediately forgot about this small matter as well, even though he finished his own drink. The chocolate-haired boy found out that Luhan enjoyed singing, while the latter discovered that Sehun had a passion for dancing. The younger found it fascinating when he heard Luhan had recently delved into jewellery design, even though the furthest he had gone were some sketches. He asked for permission to see them, but Luhan blushed and told him that they’re no good. Sehun didn’t believe him, but didn’t insist either.

***

“Wait here one second, Sehun.” Luhan rose from his chair, running back to the shop, leaving the other blinking confused behind. When he returned, he was holding something that shone for a fraction of a second, a golden bracelet.

“I’d... like to give you this.” Sehun blinked again.

“Me? You mean... as a present?”

“Yes.” Luhan sat back down, holding the bracelet on his two palms and extending his arms towards Sehun. The latter’s gaze fell upon the piece of art he was holding. It was simple and Sehun happened to take pleasure in simple things. It was golden and had small adornments in the form of leaves hanging, fallen autumn leaves. With the next inhale, he felt the autumn scent in his nostrils, albeit it was summer. Human brains were really strange, with their ever complicated and different perceptions.

“Thank you.” He took the item and smiled up at him.

“You don’t have to wear it if you don’t like it, but... just carry it with you, please?”

“No, it’s fine, I actually like it. Could you help me put it on?” He bit his lip, embarrassed, heart quickening its pace.

“No problem.” In just a few seconds, Luhan’s deft fingers placed the bracelet around his wrist, a grin decorating his expression, grin which he struggled to control in vain.

***

Sehun’s next visit didn’t have to wait until next year. Only a couple of weeks later, the boy was back in China, that much he enjoyed his stay, although he never told anybody about the honey strands of hair and the pair of eyes, painted in simple brown adorning a marble face. That he kept for himself and only for himself to daydream about when he had nothing to do and to miss when he couldn’t sleep during scalding summer nights.

Luhan raised his sleepy gaze when he heard the bell, the door opening. His eyes immediately widened and a smile made its way to his lips, bright, serene smile, welcoming Sehun.

“Why are you back already?”

“Why not? I didn’t feel like waiting another year away from... here.”

The boy, taken aback by Luhan’s sudden embrace, took a step back because of the older’s eagerness, but snaked his arms around his waist nonetheless.

“I kind of missed you...” The brunet admitted, low, hesitant voice delving into Luhan’s ear pleasantly. He quickly continued on to his next idea, not wanting the other to dwell on his words too much. “I felt a little strange since I left last time.” The shop keeper took a step back, trying to somehow chase away the bright colour of his cheeks. He stole a glance at Sehun’s wrist and the corner of his lips rose just for a little while.

“How s-so?” His nervousness was showing. The blood in his system flowed quickly. He finally understood and he mentally thanked whatever deity ruled over this world.

“I don’t know, it felt like I was missing something... It happened before, but I’ve felt it so much recently...” The boy scratched the back of his neck, gaze falling to the floor. He hadn’t told that to anybody, but he hoped Luhan would understand.

“Do you feel it now as well?”

“I guess so...” He looked up at the other, processing his question properly and searching for the right answer. “No, I actually don’t...”

“I will tell you something.”

Sehun’s breath stopped for a moment and he tried, in vain, to control his heartbeats, wondering just what Luhan would want to tell him.

“It’s about this shop.”

Something akin to disappointment and also relief spread through the younger boy’s feelings.

“What is it?”

“I won’t make you promise not to call me crazy after this, because you’ll probably break that promise... Like I did a few years ago.” The blond added in a small voice. Sehun only nodded hesitantly. “This is not really... How should I start?” Luhan’s gaze shifted to the floor as he mumbled a few words to himself. “Every item here has some kind of purpose.” He began out loud. “Because every object on sale here contains... something... something that you might not understand. I don’t understand it fully myself to be honest. They contain fragments of spirits.” Sehun opened his mouth, but was silenced before he got the chance to say what was on his mind. “Let me finish, please.” The older’s eyes were pleading, looking up at him. Meeting the other’s understanding gaze, he continued. “That ring for example,” He picked up one seemingly random ring before walking closely so that Sehun could see. “This contains the soul of a bird. The poor bird had been probably caged for most of its life, it longs for freedom...” He looked at Sehun, who wore a frown. Luhan wasn’t surprised. He then put the ring down. “There are no humans, only plants and animals. You remember the bracelet you bought for your sister, right?”

“Yes.”

“That held the spirit of a flower. Her or his wish was to be beautiful, to never have to worry about fading away, about... about falling petals, about unsightliness. Do you understand?” The shopkeeper flashed a warm smile. “These truly are lucky charms. They make these wishes come true, even if their possessor knows nothing about them.”

Sehun blinked, gaze glued to Luhan, two sides of his mind contradicting. On one side, he believed the boy, allowing himself to be pulled into this story of sorts, to believe it and let it become reality. What was reality anyway? Sehun wasn’t sure, but he had never asked himself that question. On the other side, he wanted to frown and shake his head and either leave right at that moment or take Luhan to the nearest mental hospital. He did neither.

“Then what about my bracelet-“

“Do you want to know about how I came to realize I had to take care of this place?”

Luhan was flustered, but he struggled not to show it and he interrupted Sehun quickly, slightly changing the topic. He bit his lip, waiting a few seconds for Sehun to answer, expecting him to insist on asking his question.

“Yes, tell me.” He said instead, and, relieved, Luhan turned around, back now facing the other boy.

“I came here just out of curiosity, like you probably did. And I looked around, but I didn’t see what you saw when you came here for the first time. Because everything was thriving with life... somehow. It looked like that to me...”

“What do you mean?” Sehun was just becoming more and more confused with every word heard.

"A group of lady bugs was crawling on some bracelets, a few butterflies were fluttering their wings on some rings, birds were flying... flowers were growing everywhere... all kinds of them..." Eyes glued to the back of Luhan's head, Sehun tried to picture the shop like the boy described it. It wasn't hard, but it was unrealistic and everything his brain could create just for him to 'see' looked so fake. Lifting his gaze to the rest of the room, Sehun widened his eyes before blinking once, twice. His imagination had never been this vivid. Were Luhan's words at fault for the illusions laid before his eyes or was he not as sane as he had considered himself to be? He heard a screech above his head and a quick movement of wings, although he didn't feel even the smallest air current. But he was startled and he instinctively tried to dodge the bird. It was a parrot, Sehun noticed, when he looked where the animal rested, on a shelf. Fire colours were playing in his plume, mixing in a captivating game.

Brows furrowed in confusion, he looked away. Luhan was still speaking, but he couldn't register anything anymore. Blue and violet butterflies were hovering over the older boy, some of them sitting on his shoulders and hair, and he didn't seem to mind. Sehun didn't try to blink anymore, in fact, this time he deliberately tried not to. He gazed at the pink roses decorating the shelves and the baby's breath crawling between rings and hyacinth gracefully hanging and clinging to a few necklaces.

He extended his finger to touch the flowers, but he couldn't feel any kind of sensation.

"I'm going crazy..." he whispered, but a smile brightened his features as the sight sank in.

Luhan turned around, seeing Sehun's dreamy look painted all over his face and he didn't ask any question.

“Welcome to my world." He giggled. The younger did his best not to look at him, afraid that he might not be able to look away and miss out on what was going on around him.

"Can you see all of this?" He asked amazed.

"Not anymore. Look closely, it just happens once." Sehun simply nodded, eyes scanning everything surrounding him. "What do you see?"

“There are ladybugs here." He pointed to a scarf, so thin that he was afraid it would break just because of the insects' weight. Some parakeets over there, on the window still!" He pointed happily behind Luhan, who didn't turn around, aware that it would be useless. Instead, he just kept looking at Sehun. "A-and..." he let his hand down and Luhan tilted his head.

"And?"

"There are butterflies... all over you. Blue and purple, some pink and orange." They reminded him if the sky when the sun was setting. "Are these their souls?"

"Yeah."

"They really... love you it seems."

"Maybe." Luhan chuckled.

“Really, they won’t leave you no matter how much you move.” The shopkeeper looked at his shoulders, smiling.

“Thank you, little guys. I really like you a lot too! Even if I can’t see you, thank you!”

Sehun chuckled and a few seconds later, his mirth vanished as he noticed that everything was slowly becoming dimmer and dimmer.

“They are disappearing...”

“To your eyes, yes. It never lasts long.”

“But why me? Is it, perhaps, because of this bracelet?” He lifted his forearm, pointing towards it.

“In a way... Not really actually.” Luhan bit his lip, awkwardly shifting his weight from one leg to the other. “Do you still think I’m crazy?”

“I never...” Sehun shook his head, not wanting to lie. “I don’t know, what importance that has anymore? If you are then I am too.” He chuckled, tensing up. Everything had gone back to normal. Did it really happen? “But what’s with the bracelet?”

“It’s... Its wish was... to find love...” Luhan bit his lip, eyes on the floor. Maybe Sehun’s sight wasn’t so good that he could notice the colour change in his cheeks. The younger blinked, mouth hanging open. Then he laughed. So this wasn’t it. It didn’t work. Luhan felt like hiding.

“Is that... Is that even possible?”

“W-Well... you can... ignore it and pretend it’s a normal bracelet... if it... didn’t work...” Luhan’s voice melted gradually into silence and the other could feel the disappointment in his tone. He wondered if Luhan felt something so strong about him or if he felt that lonely. Either way, he regretted his actions just now.

“I’m sorry for laughing! It’s just hard to believe... but I do believe you and I think it worked.” The older’s eyes snapped open and he felt a sharp pain in his neck when he raised his head so abruptly.

“It did?! T-That’s wonderful!” That was indeed amazing, but in this situation, despite him having replayed endless possibilities of this encounter in his head, Luhan didn’t know what to do.

“I see we’re... both kinda lost, so...” Sehun bit his lower lip and opened his arms hesitantly. “Hug?” Eyes wide, the other didn’t hesitate, and wrapped his arms around his neck, feeling the younger’s around him, warmly. “So... I guess I-I...” Sehun let out a breath, still searching for the proper words, relieved for now hearing the shopkeeper’s voice.

“Shh... don’t speak right now. Just... let the feelings rest there and take form... so that you can express them when you’re ready and you know how to... I guess they are there since you came back here.” Luhan let out a relieved sigh, fingers threading through the boy’s hair, feeling bubbles flying around in his own stomach. Colourful, soap bubbles, that’s how he had always imagined liking someone to be like. Butterflies worked too, but... that was how he felt.

Still pondering what he should tell him next, the older forgot to unlatch himself from him. Only Sehun’s question reminded him.

“Still, why?”

“Why what?” Luhan jolted, taking a step back.

“Why could I see those things? Why am I so special?”

“Oh, that, right.” Luhan smiled embarrassed. “Of course I asked the same thing back then. It’s because you’re like me. And I am like Yixing. We all have been something else in our previous lives. And our wishes, as well, didn’t come true. I’m not sure what sets us apart from the others besides the fact that we are humans...” This time, the boy gazed into Sehun’s eyes, watching surprise sparkling there as he allowed himself to get lost in them, but not entirely, since he still had to explain some things to him. “Do you think our wishes were deeper? Or we suffered more?” A bitter smile settled on his lips.

“I honestly don’t know...”

“I believe you... I’m still baffled by all this... and intrigued somehow.”

“Mhm... What happened to the previous shopkeeper?”

“Oh, Yixing? He retired. As I said, he’s making jewellery. As for me, I have to retire soon as well.”

“Why?”

“Because you showed up.” Luhan chuckled. “You’re supposed to take over now.” Sehun’s eyes widened. “I mean... not now, but soon, when you’re ready. If you... want to... I... never asked myself what would happen if someone didn’t want to do this...” the shopkeeper pouted as he pondered. “It’s because I wanted to do it in the first place.”

“I’ll... I’ll think about it.”

“I’ll continue to take care of it until you make up your mind then.” He smiled, mirth adorning his features this time. “Now... What are we-“

“But what were we before? In our previous lives?” the younger interrupted without realizing. When he did, an apology arose on the tip of his tongue, but it was eventually forgotten as the older spoke.

“I have no idea. I tried to find out, I even tried to remember things from back then, but it’s impossible. Or at least I think so.”

“Maybe you were a butterfly.”

“Why do you think so?” the boy tilted his head.

“They were all over you after all.” He grinned.

“Who knows?... But it’s nice to be loved, even if I can’t see them.” Luhan looked around him as if trying to catch sight of any of them, only one... Of course, he never could. He sighed, but the smile remained there.

“But... you can...” Sehun trailed off. “You can see one of them.” Hi eyes shifted away from Luhan. “I don’t have wings and I’m much bigger, but still...”

“Oh...” the older froze, just because he was taken aback. “T-Thank you... The best thing I could say, really.” He ironically continued, mentally slapping himself. “Don’t let me talk again... Please forget whatever stupidity escaped my mouth today, Sehun-ah... I’ll just...”

“Mhm?” the younger tilted his head to the side a bit, waiting, brows raised. He felt something akin to understanding and sympathy towards the other bubble up inside him as he spoke. He wasn’t surprised this time when the distance between them vanished and their breaths mingled before their lips met, so he just smiled.

                                     

 

 


End file.
